Day 2 Of The San Remigio Christmas Chess Tournament

December 17, 2023

It is day 2 of the tournament and the atmosphere is getting pretty intense, with only 3 matches left to complete the 7-round matchups. Some of the participants did not return to the venue despite having three rounds left. Probably because they had bad records and did not want to continue participating in the tournament. I, for one, during the start of day 2, had 1.5 points
(That's 1 win, 2 losses and 1 tie). Without a doubt a bad record but that did not stop me. Losing did not matter for I was after the fun, the enjoyment, and of course the experience. Of course, the main goal was always to win, but what can I do? They were too damn good. They were miles ahead of me, it was as if I was in a race against a Formula 1 racing car while driving a run-down, Toyota Vios.

We arrived at the venue at around 8:30-ish in the morning. The matches started at exactly 9:00 AM, so we had a total of 30 minutes of free time to roam around and prepare for our upcoming matches.

In the morning, there was only 1 match. My first match of the day was a forfeit because my opponent did not show up, so what did I do? I took the opportunity to make some friends and happily asked them if they would be glad to play friendly matches with me.

After that, I took the opportunity to capture some random photos (for keepsake) of certain individuals using the digicam that I borrowed from Hive account@indayclara.

Unexpectedly, Hive account@callmesmile and Hive account@kaijen came to support our chess journey.

_{Photo used with permission from Hive account@callmesmile}

LUNCHTIME!!! 🍽️

Lunch time came and the organizers announced that the remaining 2 matches of the tournament shall continue in the afternoon. We headed back to Hive account@indayclara's house and ate lunch. We had roasted chicken that we got on the way, pancit canton, a banana on the side, a large bottle of coke and of course Hive account@indayclara's specialty, the rice 🤣 (jk). Lunch time was fun. We talked about a lot of things and of course the never ending jokes. You simply can't not laugh if you have Hive account@penflecto and Hive account@kaijen around you.

We had lost track of the time and when I checked it's already 1:20. The two of us, me and Hive account@penflecto, rushed back to the venue. When we got there, the matches were already ongoing and when I sat on my assigned table, I noticed that I was 10 minutes down of time plus I was catching my breath because of intensive running. Eventually, this would result to me losing the game.

I also lost my 7th and final match of the tournament. To sum it up, I had 2.5 (2 wins, 4 losses, and a tie) points by the end of the tournament. After that, I went to check on Hive account@penflecto's last match at the Secondary Division. He won his last match and finished the tournament with 4 points (4 wins and 3 losses).

AWARDING TIME!🏆🥇🥈🥉

It's awarding time!!! The top 60 players from the secondary and elementary division will each receive a medal as a token of participation, while on the 4th district, they only gave out medals for the top 10 players and sadly I didn't get one because I was at top 38.

_{(My friend, Hive account@penflecto, recieved a medal because he placed top 40-ish in the secondary division.)}

These are the top 10 players of the 4th district division. If you remember, I mentioned in my blog before this that I had a close game against the top 8 player of this tournament. That guy wearing a black cap and an orange t-shirt is the one that I mentioned.

_{(These group of friends asked me to take a picture of them. They even added me in Facebook!!)}

_{(The top 4 player of the 4th district division)}

_{(The top 1 player, who's also the champion of the 4th district division)}

_{(The top 2 player of the 4th district division)}

_{(We took the chance to take a photo with the champion)}

_{(We also took a photo with the top 2 player)}

Going to the award event was super exciting, but what made it even more fun was taking pictures of players having friendly matches all around. The vibe on the field, the serious looks on players' faces, and the friendship during the matches were all captured nicely in my photos. Each picture tells a story, freezing the happiness and passion of the players, making memories that go beyond just the awards.

_{(We went walking on the beach after the tournament)}

_{(I plan to take the nursing course with engineering as a backup plan when I go to college)}

Wrapping up this blog, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Hive account@indayclara and Hive account@callmesmile for affording Hive account@penflecto and me the chance to be part of this tournament. Words fall short in expressing the depth of my appreciation. Their generosity, from lending us the digicam to covering our travel expenses, has been truly remarkable. The brief moments of bonding added an extra layer of warmth to this experience. And, of course, I can't overlook the thoughtful gesture of Hive account@indayclara gifting me a book, a treasure that will undoubtedly accompany me on my academic journey. Thank you, not just for the opportunities, but for the genuine support and kindness that made this venture unforgettable.

That will be all for this blog. I thank you all for taking the time to read my blog. Thank you for joining me in this journey. If you liked this hit the follow button and stay tuned for my next blogs.

"You will only know you're good,
If people tell you you're good."

-Arthur M. Nery